User Reviews

Pours a hazed bright yellow gold. Some white head sticks around for a bit.

Aroma and taste go hand in hand. They are very similar to each other. At first it tastes like a simple blond. Then I drink more of it and pick of flavors of green beans, peas, and corn. I wasn't the only one to taste these flavors so I don't think I was off on this. It was rather odd and off-putting.

Mouthfeel: Clean and crisp. Lighter bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends kind of dry, but clean.

Overall, this would have been a great easy drinking summer beer had I not tasted all those odd flavors. Not really something I want to be tasting in my beer.

This one poured a light yellow color with a small sized white head. Aromas or grains with some malty sweetness. Tastes of the same graininess with some sweetness. There was nothing offensive about this one, but it was my least favorite I had there.

Originally reviewed on January 30, 2007. 12 Oz Bottle. Light lemon grain husk aroma. Mildly sweet and a touch wheaty. Some salty japanese cuisine notes. Pours a middle gold, clearish, with a rocky soap of white. Flavor is a bit sticky with some lighting metallic ringing, before moving into a sweeter, subtler apples and pears malt sugar run. Again, faint grains and mild sweetness. A tinge of hop dust brightens up the smack. Not terrible, not a winner.

A - They aren't kidding about the blonde part. This is a very pale and hazy yellow color. There's nearly no head at all.

S - Malty and musty scent.

T - Smooth malt flavor to start and finishes with hops. The flavors do a good job of blending and complimenting one another.

M - Light and crisp. This is a beer that must be served cold. The colder the better.

~ If there's a session brew at the Ale Asylum I think this is the one. I can see kicking back with a sixer and polishen' all of 'em off without a hitch. I wish I had more than just this one bottle here right now.

This brew poured into a pint glass was a bright golden color that was mostly transparent with some cloudiness. There was a strong smell of banana and spice with hints of honey and clover. The taste was a bit tart with mild hints of the banana flavor. Not necessarily my taste, but it was crisp with a nice carbonation. Ok beer, but nothing special.

Ale Asylum's bottle-conditioned, hazy, golden "blonde" ale rests beneath a very nicely creamy, short but dense head of froth that holds remarkably well and leaves thin, craggy walls of lace about the glass.

The nose is distinctly grainy, nutty, and a touch earthy with yeast. There's also a mild fruitiness in the background, but it's pretty well restrained.

Pours a very cloudy, very pale yellow. A medium head disappears quite quickly.

Aroma consists of a sweet orange wheat smell, floral & airy.

Flavor has a harsh grainy taste, which I actually liked (compared to how that sounds). Seems to be sweetened by honey, and has a grassy and airy aftertaste.

Mouthful wasnt as light as I would have guessed. Well carbonated.

Drinkability is above average. However, it has a more interesting clash of flavors than an easy drinking beer would have. Add a medium thickness to it, and suddenly you have a not quite-so-refreshing beer on your hands. The flavor alone would have to carry this beer, and unfortunately for me, its just not my cup of tea.

Enjoyed on tap at Ale Asylum in Madison, WI. Poured a light gold with a tightly packed white head that left great lacing. Aroma is lemony and citrus-like. Mouthfeel is light bodied with low carbonation and a sweet malt finish. Very good drinkability.

This beer poured a bright golden color, with very little head. There wasnt much at all for a smell. The taste was very light, but some citrus flavors could be made; tasted almost like a lemon water. Nice carbonaition espically for a lighter blond ale. Overall a very light flavored beer, but a nice flavor, not that great, but a better blonde ale.

On tap at the brewery tasting room. Mild hop bitterness, ad rop of yeast. A transition beer. Soapy head on yellow. Decent enough drinkability for the summer. Just another londe, Avoidable for their more bolder tasting beers. Middling mouthfeel.Crisp carbonation.

A - Pours a clear very pale golden color with a little haze, with some very potent carbonation that fades very quickly. Doesn't leave much for head at all.

S - The smell reminds me of sweeter notes, like a banana clove smell similar to german hefes. Its certainly sweet smelling to the nose.

T - Does not overpower you in any way. I sense the start of some lighter hops followed by the yeast. Finishes very lightly - not much there in the latter notes. Although it certainly leaves a nice sweet residue behind.

M - Very smooth as it doesn't seem to have much carbonation bite to it. Goes down very easy.

D - Easy drinking beer - I imagine that I could drink quite a few of these on a warm day. A good warm up for an IPA to finish off the night.

taste: sure never expect much from a blonde ale and this doesnt deliver anything spectacular. Its crisp and refreshing which would make it a decent choice on a summers day. flavor is mostly a very light crisp malt structure, a little corn, distant hops, a touch of spice, splash of lemon

On-tap at Ale Asylum. This pours a hazy yellow color with a slight white head. The aroma is mild with a nice citrus/lemon aroma. The taste is smooth and light with a bit of a bitter after taste. Not quite as good as I was expecting, maybe that's why you don't see this in retail outlets.

A: A light yellow, with a good amount of bubbles rising to a patchy thin white head.

S: Moderately sweet and a hint of floral hops.

T: Initially rather sweet, a bit of cereal flavor, a medium-low hop flavor emerges at the end that was unexpected and much appreciated.

M: High carbonaton, rather fizzy, light bodied.

D: I could drink quite a few, but I'd rather fill my belly with their other offerings.

Overall: Every brew pub needs a light, appealing to the masses beer, it just makes business sense. This beer is that beer, but the unexpected hop flavor at the swallow really made this beer stand out from others in it's same arena. Not too shabby.

Sun-faded flax with a swirling blizzard of yeast that eventually becomes a static storm. The eggshell colored head is small, despite a spirited pour, but still looks good. Just enough lace sticks to ward off disappointment. Gold diggers don't necessarily need to be beautiful (just conniving).

The nose is classic for the style, which means that it's anything but a barnburner. There's good balance between slightly sweetened cereal grain and lightly grassy-herbal hops that probably have European origins. Even though the needle on the ol' excitement meter has barely budged, the aroma is solid enough.

Gold Digger tastes like a light American blonde ale. The malt backbone is less than sturdy and is probably made up of both pale and pilsner malts. There doesn't need to be a ton of sweetness because there isn't a ton of bitterness. The scales barely move in a downward direction, but the beer is balanced.

The flavor profile is simple. It's pretty much fresh grain with a light countering jab of grassy hops. Crisp, refreshing and drinkable all apply. Ale Asylum should put the words 'session beer' on the label because this stuff was tailor-made for that purpose.

Given everything else, the mouthfeel is appropriate. It's no more than light and saves itself by being briskly carbonated. The word crisp has already been used, but it fits, so I'll use it again. Crisp.

Ale Asylum should be commended for providing its clientele with an approachable blonde ale that is the exact opposite of pedal-to-the-metal craft beer. If never hurts to tap the brakes once in a while. Besides, as hard as it is to imagine, not everyone is a hophead. Great name and great label.

Pours a lightly dusty straw with a scattered linen head that impresses more in stick than size.
Grain-dominated nose, with some faint yelps of citrus (lemon and orange rinds, specifically), yeast-driven white peppercorns, and mild dried herb hopping.
Enters with a floured dinner roll breadiness, and generally stays there. There are illusory traces of nuts and lemon zest. . There are minor yeasty flourishes in the middle, with some sandstone and peppercorns. Hopping is adequate, and unflashy with dried grass on the close, an no real uptick in bitterness. This is appropriately dry-leaning, and even throughout. It's not complex, and shouldn't be. It never gets mushy or discordant, and that essentially equals success here.
The mouth balances a small amount of yeast-driven girth with a steady, tiny-bubbled CO2, to make this an effortless and thoughtless quaff.
Solid blonde ale. Hardly remarkable, but that's not the point. It's inoffensive all around, whether one is accustomed to drinking macros or craft brews.

Ale Asylum's bottle-conditioned, hazy, golden "blonde" ale rests beneath a very nicely creamy, short but dense head of froth that holds remarkably well and leaves thin, craggy walls of lace about the glass.

The nose is distinctly grainy, nutty, and a touch earthy with yeast. There's also a mild fruitiness in the background, but it's pretty well restrained.

The flavor makes no bones about what it is - it's a flavorful, blonde ale with an honest malt character, a very firm but not quite solid bitterness, a healthy dose of yeastiness, and a hint of leafy/grassy hops. Refreshingly natural! There's just enough character to keep it interesting for the beer lover, but just as easily approachable (making it a great entry level beer) for the students at UW in Madison). Nicely done!

A- This beer has a golden yellow very light hazy body. There is a sea of tiny bubbles that swirl through the body. There is a thin creamy white head that is a thin film but last and last.

S- The rich smell of light fresh grain with a finish of fresh rain and green leaves. There is a slight pepper note in the finish that comes through when it warms.

T- This beer has a crisp dry Munich malt flavor with a hint of biscuit and soft dried corn note that gives it a nice depth. There is a finish of a slightly salty snap to the softer green hop with a hint of lemon zest. The taste of pale malt and alcohol hangs on the tongue after the finish.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a tight fizz in the finish. No alcohol heat at all.

D- The taste of fresh malt with some nice depth but it still has a light toast to the malt. This is a marvelous example of how good this style can be. This beer goes down smooth and still has enough interest to make this a perfect session beer for the hot summer months when you want something that is not another IPA.